"Count Me In!" is the theme of this year's AFT national convention July 20-23 in Boston. From political action and organizing to professional development and disaster relief, the convention's "Count Me In!" center will showcase the many avenues that engage members at the grass roots and make our union stronger.

More than 4,000 delegates and guests are arriving in Boston for the four-day event and divisional meetings, which follow conferences of the Educational Research and Dissemination (ER&D) network and the AFT Communicators Network (AFTCN).

Featured speakers include Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) and AFL-CIO executive vice president Linda Chavez-Thompson. AFT president Edward J. McElroy on July 20 will deliver the keynote address and is expected to emphasize the importance of member activism and being "counted in" at all levels of the union.

Delegates also will elect officers and debate and vote on resolutions dealing with such key issues as adolescent literacy, healthcare reform, funding of public services, speech rights for college professors, union organizing and human rights in China.

The AFT also is releasing a state-by-state report that highlights the need for standards-based school improvement based on "smart testing."

The convention will also honor the work of the Amel Centre for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture on behalf of Darfur victims and to hear from Han Dongfang, a leader in the Tiananmen Square protests who continues to be a voice for workers inside China through Radio Free Asia and his Web site. Full coverage of the AFT convention will be available at http://www.aft.org/convention.

July, 2006